golden evening

Last Saturday night, I threw together a little dinner party celebrating the visit and birthday of

Deb, my long distance friend and collaborator in quilting.

Although we've worked together for a few years, we had never met. We had a blast!

Now, what to make.

Since the pants were still borderline snug from Tex Mex the previous evening, I decided to go a little lighter. This is my version of a hearty salad from a favorite local restaurant.

Click here for my pal Ann's version of the same salad on amy and ann.

my grocery list:

romaine

variety of tomatoes

(cherry, grape, heirloom, whatever you have access to!)

golden or red beets

red potatoes or fingerlings

haricot verts

avocado

goat cheese

chicken breasts

crusty bread

wine

italian sodas for the kids

Pinch the stem ends off the haricot verts and cook until crisp tender in boiling, salted water.

Be careful not to overcook.

Trim ends from your beets, peel, dice and toss in a little olive oil and salt.

Put in 375 degree oven and roast until tender. Confession: A ridiculous hot dog and beet diet

in college almost ruined beets for me. Wisely, I gave them another chance. Do any of

you remember that one??

The color is just incredible!

In a separate pan, I roasted the potatoes with olive oil, salt and

rosemary in a 375 degree oven until tender.

I broiled the herb marinated chicken breasts.

I tossed the romaine in a basic vinaigrette, typically 3 parts oil to 1 part

vinegar/acid plus herbs and seasonings to your liking.

Taste it and decide what to add. I put minced fresh

garlic in there too.

Everyone started with a dressed salad base and then we passed around

the toppings so you could pick and choose what you liked.

It's a great meal that's nice for a group.

And what's a birthday without cake?! Kalynn picked up these

beauties from Whole Foods. They do a very nice job with desserts!

Great food, wine, dessert and company......a perfect evening.

Happy birthday Deb! So nice to meet you.